<![CDATA[This study examines the reconstruction of women’s independence in Qur’anic interpretation through a hermeneutic analysis of Karīmān Ḥamzah’s Tafsīr al-Lu’lu’ wa al-Marjān fī Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-Karīm. Departing from dominant readings that often position woman within normative and domestic frameworks, this article argues that women’s independence can be rearticulated as an integral part of Qur’anic ethical vision. Employing a thematic-hermeneutic approach, this research analyzes selected Qur’anic verses related to intellectual, economic, social, moral, and spiritual dimensions of women’s lives, while situating Karīmān Ḥamzah’s interpretations within contemporary debates on Qur’anic hermeneutics and interpretive authority. The findings demonstrate that although Karīmān Ḥamzah does not explicitly formulate a systematic theory of women’s independence, her interpretive framework implicitly constructs woman as active moral subjects who participate in knowledge production, economic activity, social engagement, and ethical decision-making. Her approach reflects a form of “popular hermeneutics” that mediates between classical exegetical authorities and the lived realities of modern Muslim societies, thereby expanding the scope of interpretive authority beyond traditional scholarly institutions. At the same time, this study identifies certain tensions in her interpretations, where elements of traditional gender norms remain present, revealing the complex negotiation between continuity and change in contemporary Qur’anic exegesis. This article contributes to the study of Qur’anic hermeneutics by demonstrating that women’s independence is not merely a modern construct, but can be grounded in the Qur’an through context-sensitive interpretation. It also highlights the role of female exegetes in reshaping the production of religious knowledge and offers a nuanced framework for understanding women’s position within Islamic thought in the contemporary era..]]>
